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Chp. 69
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The Lovelane Motel Chp. 70
*** Phil ***"I'm outside the hotel." The Uber driver's voice came through the phone on loudspeaker."Be there in two minutes." Phil replied as finished buttoning his shirt.It was early October. Which meant four-season countries were in their colder months. The weather was much chillier than he expected when he landed the previous day.He doned his new, thick, ankle length jacket as he rushed out of the room to his waiting cab.Minutes later, he was in front of Kendi's hostel in the city center.As she approached him from the distance, furrowed brow, messy curls peeking out of her hair warmer, he admitted silently that she was the reason he'd flown here. Not to piss off Mark some more or get over Solana. "You really are here." Laughter and disbelief colored her voice as she said this."What made you think I was lying?" He asked."What are you doing here, young Gonza." The shock was still in her voice but the amusement was gone."Young Gonza?" He scoffed. "Are you mad at me or someth
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 1
*** Mark ***"I could've picked up groceries yesterday evening, mah." Mark Daniels glanced at his mother on the passenger side of the car."Shoulda, woulda, coulda!" His mother muttered. She wound down the windshield. As if that would help her get a clearer picture of the crowd leaving and entering the supermarket. "Is it always this crowded?"Mark rubbed his forehead in frustration. If he ignored that question, she would call him disrespectful and they'd start quarreling. "Yes, because it's Saturday. Also, you already know this. Should we go to the mall instead?"Even as he asked this, he knew the suggestion was dumb. The mall was often much worse than Ever-Good supermarket on this day and time of the week. But he hated driving in traffic or shopping in crowded places. No doubt, there would be kids in there screaming for no reason while their parents did nothing about it.His mother's reply was as expected. "We're already here. Also, you hate it there on Saturday."Mark eased the car
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 2
*** Solana ***Solana's heart was in her stomach as Mr. Gonza approached. Linda, his assistant, was beside him. She had a file under her arm as she typed on her phone with one hand. 'Please god, I still need this job... for food... and rent.'Her boss slowed his strides when he came a few feet closer."Good morning, Mr. Gonza. Miss Lance." She greeted the two. "You're early today." Her boss said. He had a curious frown on his face. She wondered if there was a right and wrong reply to that comment."I woke up early." Lame reply, she thought."Oh. Sweet. The meds must've worked wonders." He said.Was that sarcasm? She would never know because she lacked the courage to ask. "I... guess." She mumbled.The silence didn't last three seconds but it started to get awkward fast before he said,"Well, it's good to know you're better now. Enjoy." He walked off into the sales floor with Linda trailing behind."Thanks... sir." She murmured."I don't think he heard that, Sol. He’s gone." Kofi sai
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 3
Philip Gonza drove his black Mazda into his street mart private parking lot, waving to the security staff members as he passed. He parked at his usual reserved spot beside the Khaya tree, near the supermarket entrance. Turning off the engine caused the car radio to go off too, bringing the usual calm and quiet that he loved so much at this time of day.Phil checked the time again. It was already 7.25. The sun was coming up full now. The Ever-Good supermarket did not open to customers until 8.15 AM and his self-assigned resumption time was 7.50. Although he liked to arrive at least twenty minutes earlier. It gave him time to chill in his car and fiddle with his phone or just let his mind roam.This was his routine every morning since his father handed him this shop. He loved sitting under this slightly large tree with his car door open in the mornings before resuming his duties. The only sound at this time was of birds singing atop the tree. Cars honked out in the street, but the sound
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 4
☆ Mark ☆It was the thirteenth day after his mother's funeral that Mark decided to save her "precious" Lovelane. That was not the only turnaround he made. Smoking weed beside her grave every morning was also cancelled. He decided it was pointless and a waste of time. Especially if he meant to save his livelihood. He couldn't decide what had brought on the epiphany. Was it the serious roasting he got from his uncle? Or the scolding that accompanied his merely mentioning that he wished to sell the place? One thing was certain. The talk with Kendi, his cousin, the one who was set to take his house, had played a major role.When she called at first, he'd told himself to bear in mind that money and property caused family members to turn on each other. All of his mother's assets would go to her if he failed to adhere to the will. So he'd listened without forming any real opinion.It had been on the tip of his lips to beg her that he didn't want to be homeless. She could take everything else
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 5
Days later.Walking was good for the soul and body, Solana told herself, ignoring the shared cab honking to get her attention. The man's car was not yet full and he needed just one more passenger to complete the seats in order to earn his full money for the trip. Her job required sitting most of the time, so walking was good exercise. Never mind that her house was some twenty-five minutes walk from the supermarket where she worked. And she didn't have any extra calories to burn. This workout was not needed at all unless she was trying to lose her non-existent weight.Who was she kidding? She didn't want to walk home. The only thing she liked about her job was its proximity to the house. She always arrived home five to ten minutes after her shift, depending on the traffic situation. That was something very few people enjoyed in this busy city. But walking instead of taking a cab meant not getting back as quickly as she liked to. The only problem was she hated spending money nowadays.
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 6
'Nice and calm.' It was raining outside. All the air-conditioners were turned on. Solana snuggled into her jacket, enjoying the calmness of her surroundings as her eyes scanned the sales floor and aisles. It was a Friday morning. The supermarket was still empty except for the morning shift staff and two customers. Nope. Three. A formally-dressed tall man was now walking toward the cash counters with two large loaves and something else Solana couldn't see. She guessed the other two customers were probably just window shopping. "Do you know what a shopping cart is?" She wondered aloud, looking at the man approaching the cash point. He chose to stop at Zuri's counter, and Solana gave a silent prayer of thanks."Nice and calm." She hummed silently. It was wrong to enjoy the peace that came with slow business hours. Especially since this was where she earned her living. But she couldn't help it. The weather made her want to stay like this till she clocked out later. She did not feel li
The Lovelane Motel Chp. 7
*** Mark *** Mark sat where his mom used to sit and work in the brightly lit, sparsely decorated, spacious office. As he stared at the open Excel sheet on his mother's laptop, he mouthed, "Unbelievable." The initial renovations had actually had an effect. And quickly, too. He'd noticed the increase in foot traffic, but he didn't know things had picked up at this pace. Things have gotten much better than he expected in such a short time. So the free condoms worked, huh? How about that? He couldn't help but smile. But he quickly reminded himself that he had only scratched the surface of the beginning. It was a great start. He must maintain this momentum for the next five months, give or take. That meant continuous improvement. Or kaizen, as the Japanese called it. At least the very least, he must constantly do something new to spur the steady increase of guests. At some point in the last few weeks, he realized he couldn't do this alone. Joe and Ugo were a great help with security,
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